Reducing oxygen in a gas turbine exhaust

ABSTRACT

The present techniques are directed to a system and methods for operating a gas turbine system. An exemplary gas turbine system includes an oxidant system, a fuel system, and a control system. A combustor is adapted to receive and combust an oxidant from the oxidant system and a fuel from the fuel system to produce an exhaust gas. A catalyst unit including an oxidation catalyst that includes an oxygen storage component is configured to reduce the concentration of oxygen in the exhaust gas to form a low oxygen content product gas.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/182,058 that published as US2014/230446 and was filed on Feb. 17, 2014, which claims the priority benefit of, and priority from, U.S. Patent Application No. 61/767,690 filed Feb. 21, 2013 entitled REDUCING OXYGEN IN A GAS TURBINE EXHAUST, the entirety of each of which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates generally to low-emission power generation systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for changing the composition of components in exhaust gases from gas turbine systems.

BACKGROUND

This section is intended to introduce various aspects of the art, which may be associated with exemplary embodiments of the present techniques. This discussion is believed to assist in providing a framework to facilitate a better understanding of particular aspects of the present techniques. Accordingly, it should be understood that this section should be read in this light, and not necessarily as admissions of prior art.

The combustion of fuel within a combustor, e.g., integrated with a gas turbine, can be controlled by monitoring the temperature of the exhaust gas. At full load, typical gas turbines adjust the amount of fuel introduced to a number of combustors in order to reach a desired combustion gas or exhaust gas temperature. Conventional combustion turbines control the oxidant introduced to the combustors using inlet guide vanes. Under a partial load, the amount of oxidant introduced to the combustor is reduced and the amount of fuel introduced is again controlled to reach the desired exhaust gas temperature. Further, at a partial load, the efficiency of gas turbines drops because the ability to reduce the amount of oxidant is limited by the inlet guide vanes, which are only capable of slightly reducing the flow of oxidant. Further, the oxidant remains at a constant lower flow rate when the inlet guide vanes are in their flow restricting position. The efficiency of the gas turbine then drops when it is at lower power production because to make that amount of power with that mass flow a lower expander inlet temperature is required. Moreover, existing oxidant inlet control devices may not allow fine flow rate control and may introduce large pressure drops with any restriction on the oxidant flow. With either of these approaches to oxidant control, there are potential problems with lean blow out at partial load or reduced pressure operations.

Controlling the amount of oxidant introduced to the combustor can be desirable when an objective is to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the exhaust gas. Current carbon dioxide capture technology is expensive due to several reasons. One reason is the low pressure and low concentration of carbon dioxide in the exhaust gas. The carbon dioxide concentration, however, can be significantly increased from about 4% to greater than 10% by operating the combustion process under substantially stoichiometric conditions. Further, a portion of the exhaust gas may be recycled to the combustor as a diluent in order to control the temperature of the gas within the combustor and of the exhaust gas. Also, any unused oxygen in the exhaust gas may be a contaminate in the captured carbon dioxide, restricting the type of solvents that can be utilized for the capture of carbon dioxide.

In many systems, an oxidant flow rate may be reduced by altering the operation of a separate oxidant system. For example, an independent oxidant compressor may be throttled back to a slower operating speed thereby providing a decreased oxidant flow rate. However, the reduction in compressor operating speed generally decreases the efficiency of the compressor. Additionally, throttling the compressor may reduce the pressure of the oxidant entering the combustor. In contrast, if the oxidant is provided by the compressor section of the gas turbine, reducing the speed is not a variable that is controllable during power generation. Large gas turbines that are used to produce 60 cycle power are generally run at 3600 rpm. Similarly, to produce 50 cycle power the gas turbine is often run at 3000 rpm. In conventional gas turbine combustor operations the flow of oxidant into the combustor may not warrant significant control because the excess oxidant is used as coolant in the combustion chamber to control the combustion conditions and the temperature of the exhaust gas. A number of studies have been performed to determine techniques for controlling combustion processes in gas turbines with the intent of minimizing oxygen and undesirable combustion by-products, such as carbon monoxide, in the exhaust.

For example, International Patent Application Publication No. WO/2010/044958 by Mittricker et al. discloses methods and systems for controlling the products of combustion, for example, in a gas turbine system. One embodiment includes a combustion control system having an oxygenation stream substantially comprising oxygen and CO₂, then mixing the oxygenation stream with a combustion fuel stream and combusting in a combustor to generate a combustion products stream having a temperature and a composition detected by a temperature sensor and an oxygen analyzer, respectively. The data from the sensors are used to control the flow and composition of the oxygenation and combustion fuel streams. The system may also include a gas turbine with an expander and having a load and a load controller in a feedback arrangement.

International Patent Application Publication No. WO/2009/120779 by Mittricker et al. discloses systems and methods for low emission power generation and hydrocarbon recovery. One system includes integrated pressure maintenance and miscible flood systems with low emission power generation. Another system provides for low emission power generation, carbon sequestration, enhanced oil recovery (EOR), or carbon dioxide sales using a hot gas expander and external combustor. Another system provides for low emission power generation using a gas power turbine to compress air in the inlet compressor and generate power using hot carbon dioxide laden gas in the expander.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0023954 by Wichman discloses a power plant and a method of operation. The power plant and method includes a main air compressor and a gas turbine assembly. The assembly includes a turbine combustor for mixing compressed ambient gas with a recirculated low oxygen content gas flow and a fuel stream to form a combustible mixture. The combustible mixture is burned in the turbine combustor, forming the recirculated low oxygen content flow. The assembly includes a recirculation loop for recirculating the recirculated low oxygen content gas flow from the turbine to the turbine compressor. The assembly also includes an integrated inlet bleed heat conduit that fluidly connects the gas turbine assembly to an input of the main air compressor and delivers a portion of the recirculating low oxygen content gas flow from the gas turbine assembly to the input of the main air compressor.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,205,455 to Popovic discloses a power plant and method of operation. The power plant includes a main air compressor and an oxidizer unit configured to deliver a compressed oxygen-rich gas flow to a gas turbine assembly. Each gas turbine assembly includes a turbine combustor for mixing the compressed oxygen-rich gas flow with a recirculated gas flow and a fuel stream to burn a combustible mixture and form the recirculated gas flow. The assembly also includes a recirculation loop for recirculating the recirculated gas flow from a turbine to a turbine compressor. The assembly further includes a recirculated gas flow extraction path for extracting a portion of the recirculated gas flow from the assembly and delivering this to a gas separation system. The gas separation system separates the portion of the recirculated gas flow into a nitrogen portion and a carbon dioxide portion.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,668 to Weil et al. discloses a catalyst-bearing component of a gas turbine engine. Catalytic materials are formed on components in the gas flow path of the engine, reducing emissions of carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons. The catalytic materials are selected from the noble metals and transition metal oxides. The portions of the gas flow path where such materials are applied can include the combustor, the turbine, and the exhaust system. The catalytic coating can be applied in conjunction with a thermal barrier coating system interposed between a substrate component and the catalytic coating.

Past efforts to control the exhaust gas components have focused on reducing the content of standard pollutants, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and unburned hydrocarbons. The gains have mostly been achieved by the use of near stoichiometric combustion with some catalysts, such as catalysts selected to reduce carbon monoxide and NOx in the exhaust. As a result, the concentration of various other gases in the exhaust, such as oxygen, may be higher than desirable.

SUMMARY

An exemplary embodiment of the present techniques provides a gas turbine system. The gas turbine system includes an oxidant system, a fuel system, and a control system. A combustor is adapted to receive and combust an oxidant from the oxidant system and a fuel from the fuel system to produce an exhaust gas. A catalyst unit including an oxidation catalyst that includes an oxygen storage component is configured to reduce the concentration of oxygen in the exhaust gas to form a low oxygen content product gas.

Another embodiment provides a heat recovery unit. The heat recovery unit includes a heat exchanger configured to remove heat energy from an exhaust gas and a catalyst bed configured to reduce a concentration of a target gas in the exhaust gas. The catalyst bed includes an oxygen storage component (OSC).

Another embodiment provides a method for combusting a fuel in a gas turbine. The method includes providing a fuel to a combustor on a gas turbine, providing an oxidant to the combustor, and combusting the fuel and the oxidant in the combustor to produce an exhaust gas. At least a portion of the exhaust gas is passed through a catalyst bed including a catalyst having an oxygen storage component (OSC) catalyst to form a low oxygen content product gas.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The advantages of the present techniques are better understood by referring to the following detailed description and the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a gas turbine system that includes a gas turbine;

FIG. 2 is a schematic of a gas turbine system 200 that can be used to adjust the oxidant flow and/or fuel flow to the combustors 110 of a gas turbine engine 102;

FIG. 3 is a schematic of a gas turbine system that includes a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) on the exhaust stream from the expander exhaust section;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are graphical depictions of a simulation showing the relationship between the concentration of oxygen and carbon monoxide as the equivalence ratio (ϕ) changes from 0.75 to 1.25 and from 0.999 to 1.001, respectively;

FIG. 5 is another plot showing the distribution of equivalence ratios that can be used in embodiments;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a method for adjusting fuel and oxidant levels to the combustors based on readings from an array of sensors;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a plant control system that may be used to control the oxidant and fuel to the combustors in a gas turbine engine; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic of a simulated gas turbine system that illustrates the use of two catalyst beds in a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG) to reduce the concentration of selected components in an exhaust stream.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description section, specific embodiments of the present techniques are described. However, to the extent that the following description is specific to a particular embodiment or a particular use of the present techniques, this is intended to be for exemplary purposes only and simply provides a description of the exemplary embodiments. Accordingly, the techniques are not limited to the specific embodiments described below, but rather, include all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents falling within the true spirit and scope of the appended claims.

At the outset, for ease of reference, certain terms used in this application and their meanings as used in this context are set forth. To the extent a term used herein is not defined below, it should be given the broadest definition persons in the pertinent art have given that term as reflected in at least one printed publication or issued patent. Further, the present techniques are not limited by the usage of the terms shown below, as all equivalents, synonyms, new developments, and terms or techniques that serve the same or a similar purpose are considered to be within the scope of the present claims.

A “combined cycle power plant” uses both steam and gas turbines to generate power. The gas turbine operates in an open or semi-open Brayton cycle, and the steam turbine operates in a Rankine cycle powered by the heat from the gas turbine. These combined cycle gas/steam power plants generally have a higher energy conversion efficiency than gas or steam only plants. A combined cycle plant's efficiencies can be as high as 50% to 60%. The higher combined cycle efficiencies result from synergistic utilization of a combination of the gas turbine with the steam turbine. Typically, combined cycle power plants utilize heat from the gas turbine exhaust to boil water to generate steam. The boilers in typical combined cycle plants can be referred to as heat recovery steam generator (HRSG). The steam generated is utilized to power a steam turbine in the combined cycle plant. The gas turbine and the steam turbine can be utilized to separately power independent generators, or in the alternative, the steam turbine can be combined with the gas turbine to jointly drive a single generator via a common drive shaft.

A diluent is a gas that is primarily used to reduce the combustor temperatures that result from the combustion of a fuel and oxidant. A diluent may be used to lower the concentration of oxidant or fuel (or both) that is fed to a gas turbine and/or to dilute the products of combustion. The diluent may be an excess of nitrogen, CO₂, combustion exhaust, or any number of other gases. In embodiments, a diluent may also provide cooling to a combustor and/or other parts of the gas turbine.

As used herein, a “compressor” includes any type of equipment designed to increase the pressure of a working fluid, and includes any one type or combination of similar or different types of compression equipment. A compressor may also include auxiliary equipment associated with the compressor, such as motors, and drive systems, among others. The compressor may utilize one or more compression stages, for example, in series. Illustrative compressors may include, but are not limited to, positive displacement types, such as reciprocating and rotary compressors for example, and dynamic types, such as centrifugal and axial flow compressors, for example. For example, a compressor may be a first stage in a gas turbine engine, as discussed in further detail below.

A “control system” typically comprises one or more physical system components employing logic circuits that cooperate to achieve a set of common process results. In an operation of a gas turbine engine, the objectives can be to achieve a particular exhaust composition and temperature. The control system can be designed to reliably control the physical system components in the presence of external disturbances, variations among physical components due to manufacturing tolerances, and changes in inputted set-point values for controlled output values. Control systems usually have at least one measuring device, which provides a reading of a process variable, which can be fed to a controller, which then can provide a control signal to an actuator, which then drives a final control element acting on, for example, an oxidant stream. The control system can be designed to remain stable and avoid oscillations within a range of specific operating conditions. A well-designed control system can significantly reduce the need for human intervention, even during upset conditions in an operating process.

An “equivalence ratio” refers to the mass ratio of fuel to oxygen entering a combustor divided by the mass ratio of fuel to oxygen when the ratio is stoichiometric. A perfect combustion of fuel and oxygen to form CO₂ and water would have an equivalence ratio of 1. A too lean mixture, e.g., having more oxygen than fuel, would provide an equivalence ratio less than 1, while a too rich mixture, e.g., having more fuel than oxygen, would provide an equivalence ratio greater than 1.

“Lambda” refers to the mass ratio of oxygen to fuel entering a combustor divided by the mass ratio of oxygen to fuel when the ratio is stoichiometric. Lambda=1/(equivalence ratio).

A “fuel” includes any number of hydrocarbons that may be combusted with an oxidant to power a gas turbine. Such hydrocarbons may include natural gas, treated natural gas, kerosene, gasoline, or any number of other natural or synthetic hydrocarbons.

A “gas turbine” engine operates on the Brayton cycle. If the exhaust gas is vented, this is termed an open Brayton cycle, while recycling at least a portion of the exhaust gas gives a semi-open Brayton cycle. In a semi-open Brayton cycle, at least fuel and oxidant are added to the system to support internal combustion and a portion of the products of combustion are vented or extracted. In a closed Brayton cycle, all of the exhaust is recycled and none is vented or extracted and heat is added to the system by external combustion or another means. As used herein, a gas turbine typically includes a compressor section, a number of combustors, and a turbine expander section. The compressor may be used to compress an oxidant, which is mixed with a fuel and channeled to the combustors. The mixture of fuel and oxidant is then ignited to generate hot combustion gases. The combustion gases are channeled to the turbine expander section which extracts energy from the combustion gases for powering the compressor, as well as producing useful work to power a load. In embodiments discussed herein, the oxidant may be provided to the combustors by an external compressor, which may or may not be mechanically linked to the shaft of the gas turbine engine. Further, in embodiments, the compressor section may be used to compress a diluent, such as recycled exhaust gases, which may be fed to the combustors as a coolant.

A “heat recovery steam generator” or HRSG is a heat exchanger or boiler that recovers heat from a hot gas stream. It produces steam that can be used in a process or used to drive a steam turbine. A common application for an HRSG is in a combined-cycle power plant, where hot exhaust from a gas turbine is fed to the HRSG to generate steam which in turn drives a steam turbine. This combination produces electricity more efficiently than either the gas turbine or steam turbine alone. As used herein, an HRSG may include any number of heat recovery units in addition to, or instead of, an HRSG by itself.

A “hydrocarbon” is an organic compound that primarily includes the elements hydrogen and carbon, although nitrogen, sulfur, oxygen, metals, or any number of other elements may be present in small amounts. As used herein, hydrocarbons generally refer to components found in raw natural gas, such as CH₄, C₂H₂, C₂H₄, C₂H₆, C₃H₆, C₃H₈, C₄H₈ isomers, C₄H₁₀ isomers, benzene, and the like.

An “oxidant” is a gas mixture that can be flowed into the combustors of a gas turbine engine to combust a fuel. As used herein, the oxidant may be oxygen mixed with any number of other gases as diluents, including CO₂, N₂, air, combustion exhaust, and the like.

A “sensor” refers to any device that can detect, determine, monitor, record, or otherwise sense the absolute value of or a change in a physical quantity. A sensor as described herein can be used to measure physical quantities including, temperature, pressure, O₂ concentration, CO concentration, CO₂ concentration, flow rate, acoustic data, vibration data, chemical concentration, valve positions, or any other physical data.

A “lambda sensor” refers to any device that can detect, determine, monitor, record, or otherwise sense the absolute value of or a change in the equivalence ratio or lambda value of a combustion process or products of a combustion process.

“Pressure” is the force exerted per unit area by the gas on the walls of the volume. Pressure can be shown as pounds per square inch (psi). “Atmospheric pressure” refers to the local pressure of the air. “Absolute pressure” (psia) refers to the sum of the atmospheric pressure (14.7 psia at standard conditions) plus the gage pressure (psig). “Gauge pressure” (psig) refers to the pressure measured by a gauge, which indicates only the pressure exceeding the local atmospheric pressure (i.e., a gauge pressure of 0 psig corresponds to an absolute pressure of 14.7 psia). The term “vapor pressure” has the usual thermodynamic meaning. For a pure component in an enclosed system at a given pressure, the component vapor pressure is essentially equal to the total pressure in the system.

“Substantial” when used in reference to a quantity or amount of a material, or a specific characteristic thereof, refers to an amount that is sufficient to provide an effect that the material or characteristic was intended to provide. The exact degree of deviation allowable may in some cases depend on the specific context.

Overview

Embodiments described herein provide systems and methods for reducing the oxygen content in an exhaust stream from a gas turbine engine in a semi-closed loop operation. A catalyst bed that includes an oxygen storage component (OSC) may be used in combination with a closed-loop lambda control in order to reduce the amount of oxygen in the gas turbine exhaust stream to less than about 1000 ppm, 500 ppm, 200 ppm, 100 ppm, 50 ppm, 20 ppm or 10 ppm. If operational excursions temporarily cause higher oxygen content in the exhaust stream, the OSC of the catalyst may store the extra oxygen, stabilizing the oxygen content in the exhaust stream. If other operational excursions temporarily cause lower oxygen content, for example, a reducing environment, in the exhaust stream, the OSC of the catalyst may release previously stored oxygen to again stabilize the oxygen content in the exhaust stream. In this manner, the OSC allows the lambda control system to maintain a more stable lambda setpoint even while normal control system variations cause changes to the instantaneous air/fuel ratio of the gas turbine combustor. The catalyst may be located in beds in a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) or in a high pressure purge stream upstream of the separation or compression process.

In non-closed loop operations, gas turbine engines are usually operated under lean conditions, e.g., using more oxidant than fuel or λ=(air/fuel)_(actual)/(air/fuel)_(stoich)>1. This can also be described as operating the gas turbine engine at an equivalence ration (φ) of less than about 1.0. The lean operation uses the oxidant as a coolant gas to maintain temperatures below the material limits and ensure complete oxidation of the fuel. However, the resulting exhaust gas may have high oxygen content, making it unsuitable for applications in which it is in direct contact with a hydrocarbon, such as enhanced oil recovery.

To lower the oxygen, the gas turbine engine may be operated at conditions that increase the reductants in the exhaust. The reductants are mainly comprised of CO, but may also include hydrogen gas and unburnt fuel. Relying on CO as the main reductant, a ratio of CO:O₂ of at least about two is required by stoichiometry in order to reduce all the oxygen. Therefore, the combustors may have to be run slightly rich, i.e., at an equivalence ratio of less than about one, to obtain the CO:O₂ ratio of greater than about two. As a result, there is some chemical energy in the form of CO that is not captured in the ULET system and the system is forced to operate at a higher heat rate.

To capture this energy, the gas turbine engine may be operated near an equivalence ratio of 1.0. However, maintaining the air to fuel ratio in the gas turbine engine at 1.0 is difficult, as operational variations, due to control limitations, combustion inefficiencies, combustor differences, and chemical equilibrium effects, may result in transient excursions to oxygen levels higher than desired in the exhaust. In practice, the concentration of residual oxidants and reductants in the effluent gas stream is expected to be in the range of about 1000-5000 ppm for oxygen and about 2000-10000 ppm for CO and 1000-5000 ppm for hydrogen, prior to any catalyst bed used for decreasing these materials.

In embodiments described herein, a catalyst bed is used that is capable of reducing the residual amount of O₂ to a level of 10 ppm using CO or hydrogen as reductant, according to the reaction shown in Eqn. 1a and 1b. O₂+2CO↔2CO₂  (1a) O₂+2H₂↔2H₂O  (1b) The catalyst bed contains an oxidation catalyst, for example, comprising a precious metal, and an OSC, for example, comprising ceria.

Various embodiments of the present invention also provide a system and a method for consuming carbon monoxide generated in the combustion in a gas turbine engine. This is performed by a water gas shift reaction, for example, in a catalyst bed located in a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). The water gas shift reaction is a chemical reaction between carbon monoxide and water vapor that forms carbon dioxide and hydrogen as products. The water-gas shift reaction is a predominant reaction given the relatively large quantity of water vapor present in the exhaust from the gas turbine. In some embodiments, such as in a stoichiometric exhaust gas recirculation (SEGR) gas turbine, the exhaust is a recirculated low oxygen content gas stream, which is used at least as a coolant gas in the combustors. Typically, water vapor content of more than 10 volume percent (>100 k parts per million volume, ppmv) is present in the recirculated low oxygen content gas stream while oxygen, carbon monoxide and hydrogen are of the order of 1000 to 5000 ppmv. As a result, the water-gas shift reaction is able to consume residual carbon monoxide plus a similar quantity of water vapor to create carbon dioxide and hydrogen at a higher conversion efficiency than the competing oxidation reactions. The resulting low CO content product gas may comprise as little as 1 or 2 ppm CO.

Sensors may be placed in the exhaust gas, the product gas, or both to adjust the combustion conditions to control the amount of CO, oxygen or other contaminants in the exhaust gas. For example, the sensors may be located in a ring on an expander exhaust, an inlet to the catalyst bed, an outlet from a catalyst bed, or any combination. The sensors may include lambda sensors, oxygen sensors, carbon monoxide sensors, and temperature sensors, among others. Further, combinations of different types of sensors may be used to provide further information.

In some embodiments, multiple sensors may be used to adjust the conditions in individual combustors on the gas turbine. The sensors may not have a one-to-one relationship to particular combustors, but may be influenced by a particular combustor. The response of various sensors may be related back to a particular combustor, for example, using sum and difference algorithms that may be based on swirl charts. Swirl charts relate patterns of exhaust flow in an expander to combustors that may have contributed to the exhaust flow at that point.

The use of individually controlled combustors may increase the burn efficiency of a gas turbine engine, e.g., making the burn closer to a one-to-one equivalence ratio. Such improvements in efficiency may lower O₂, unburned hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide in the exhaust. Although the low concentration of oxygen may make an oxidation catalyst less efficient, the OSC may capture oxygen to be used in the reaction. Further, the large amount of water vapor in the exhaust can maintain a high rate of conversion of the CO in the water gas shift reaction.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a gas turbine system 100 that includes a gas turbine engine 102. The gas turbine engine 102 may have a compressor 104 and a turbine expander 106 on a single shaft 108. The gas turbine engine 102 is not limited to a single shaft arrangement, as multiple shafts could be used, generally with mechanical linkages or transmissions between shafts. In various embodiments, the gas turbine engine 102 also has a number of combustors 110 that feed hot exhaust gas to the expander, for example, through lines 112. For example, a gas turbine 102 may have 2, 4, 6, 14, 18, or even more combustors 110, depending on the size of the gas turbine 102.

The combustors 110 are used to burn a fuel provided by a fuel source 114. An oxidant may be provided to each of the combustors 110 from various sources. For example, in embodiments, an external oxidant source 116, such as an external compressor, may provide the oxidant to the combustors 110. In embodiments, an oxidant or recycled exhaust gases 118, or a mixture thereof, may be compressed in the compressor 104 and then provided to the combustors 110. In other embodiments, such as when an external oxidant source 116 is provided, the compressor 104 may be used to compress only the recycled exhaust gas, which may be fed to the combustors 110 for cooling and dilution of the oxidant.

The exhaust gas from the combustors 110 expands in the turbine expander 106, creating mechanical energy. The mechanical energy may power the compressor 104 through the shaft 108. Further, a portion of the mechanical energy may be harvested from the gas turbine as a mechanical power output 120, for example, to generate electricity or to power oxidant compressors. The expanded exhaust gas 122 may be vented, used for heat recovery, recycled to the compressor 104, or used in any combinations thereof. In an embodiment, the exhaust gas 122 is flowed through one or more catalyst beds that include an oxidation catalyst and an oxidation storage catalyst (OSC), or a water gas shift catalyst, or both.

In some embodiments, the oxidant is metered to the combustors 110 to control an equivalence ratio of the fuel to the oxidant. The metering may be performed for all combustors 110 together, for example, by adjusting the fuel 114 and oxidant 116 sources, or each individual combustor 110. It will be apparent to one of skill in the art that a stoichiometric burn, e.g., at an equivalence ratio of 1, will be hotter than a non-stoichiometric burn. Therefore, either excess oxidant or an added non-combustible gas, such as a recycle exhaust gas, can be added to cool the engine, preventing damage to the combustors 110 or the turbine expander 106 from the extreme heat.

The use of recycled exhaust gas 122 provides a further advantage in that the exhaust is deficient in oxygen, making it a better material for enhanced oil recovery. Adjusting individual combustors 110 may compensate for differences between the combustors 110, improving the overall efficiency of the gas turbine 102.

Control of Combustors

FIG. 2 is a schematic of a gas turbine system 200 that can be used to adjust the oxidant flow and/or fuel flow to the combustors 110 of a gas turbine engine 102. The referenced units are as generally discussed with respect to FIG. 1. The system 200 may adjust the amount of oxidant 116 provided to the combustors 110, for example, by adjusting the pressure, flow rate, or composition of the oxidant 116. Similarly, the system 200 may adjust the amount of fuel 114 provided to the combustors 110 by adjusting the pressure, flow rate, or composition of the fuel 114. In an embodiment, the oxidant flow to each individual combustor 110 may be adjusted by an oxidant flow adjusting device 202, such as a valve, swirler, or mixing section in each combustor 110. An actuator 204 can be used to adjust the oxidant flow adjusting device 202. Similarly, the fuel flow 114 to each individual combustor 110 may be adjusted.

A number of sensors 206 can be placed in an expander exhaust section 208 of the gas turbine engine 102, for example, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 or more, sensors 206 may be placed in a ring around the expander exhaust section 208. The number of sensors 206 may be determined by the size of the gas turbine 102, the number of combustors 110, or both. The sensors 206 may include oxygen sensors, carbon monoxide sensors, temperature sensors, hydrogen sensors, and the like. Examples of oxygen sensors can include lambda and/or wideband zirconia-oxygen sensors, titania sensors, galvanic, infrared, or any combination thereof. Examples of temperature sensors can include thermocouples, resistive temperature devices, infrared sensors, or any combination thereof. Examples of carbon monoxide sensors can include oxide based film sensors such as barium stannate and/or titanium dioxide. For example, a carbon monoxide sensor can include platinum-activated titanium dioxide, lanthanum stabilized titanium dioxide, and the like. The choice of the sensors 206 may be controlled by the response time, as the measurements are needed for real time control of the system. The sensors 206 may also include combinations of different types of sensors 206. The sensors 206 send a signal 210 back to the control system 212, which may be used to make fuel and oxidant adjustment decisions for each, or all, of the combustors 110. Any number of physical measurements could be performed, for example, the sensors 206 could be used to measure temperature, pressure, CO concentration, O₂ concentration, vibration, and the like. Further, multiple sensors 206 could be used to measure combinations of these parameters.

The control system 212 may be part of a larger system, such as a distributed control system (DCS), a programmable logic controller (PLC), a direct digital controller (DDC), or any other appropriate control system. Further, the control system 212 may automatically adjust parameters, or may provide information about the gas turbine 102 to an operator who manually performs adjustments. The control system 212 is discussed further with respect to FIG. 7, below.

It will be understood that the gas turbine system 200 shown in FIG. 2, and similar gas turbine systems depicted in other figures, have been simplified to assist in explaining various embodiments of the present techniques. Accordingly, in embodiments of the present techniques, both the oxidant system 116 and the fuel system 114, as well as the gas turbine systems themselves, can include numerous devices not shown. Such devices can include flow meters, such as orifice flow meters, mass flow meters, ultrasonic flow meters, venturi flow meters, and the like. Other devices can include valves, such as piston motor valves (PMVs) to open and close lines, and motor valves, such as diaphragm motor valves (DMVs), globe valves, and the like, to regulate flow rates. Further, compressors, tanks, heat exchangers, and sensors may be utilized in embodiments in addition to the units shown.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the compressor 104 may be used to compress a stream 214, such as a recycled exhaust stream. After compression, the compressed stream 216 may be injected into the mixing section of the combustor 110. The stream 214 is not limited to a pure recycle stream, as the compressed stream 216 may provide the oxidant to the combustor 110. The exhaust stream 218 from the expander exhaust section 208 may be used to provide the recycle stream, as discussed further with respect to FIG. 7, below.

Catalysts and Catalyst Beds

The exhaust stream 218 may be passed through one or more catalyst beds 220, for example, attached to the exhaust expander section 208, located in an HRSG, or in other places in the gas turbine system 200. The catalyst beds 220 may comprise any number of catalyst components. For example, a catalyst bed may comprise an oxidation catalyst or a water gas shift catalyst. Multiple catalyst beds may be used in sequence. Generally, an oxidation and/or reduction catalyst bed may be located in a high temperature zone, for example, in an exhaust expander section 208, in separate catalyst bed 220 after the exhaust expander 208, or in early stage of a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG), as discussed herein. A water gas shift catalyst bed may be located in a lower temperature region of the exhaust flow, such as towards the end of an HRSG. The product gas 222 from the catalyst bed 220 may be a low oxygen content gas that substantially includes carbon dioxide, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, and water vapor. Small amounts of oxygen may still be present, but may be less than about 10 ppmv, for example, 5 ppmv, 2 ppmv or 1 ppmv.

It can be noted that the catalyst bed 220 is not limited to oxidation catalysts, but may also include other catalysts that can reduce chemical components. For example, the catalyst bed 220 may comprise a catalytic convertor, in which an oxidation catalyst oxidizes CO and unburned hydrocarbons to CO₂ and H₂O, and a reduction catalyst converts oxides of nitrogen (NO_(x)) to N₂, CO₂, and H₂O. The oxidation catalyst may be, for example, platinum, palladium, gold, or other metals, supported on a refractory oxide. The refractory oxide may include alumina, silica, titania, zirconia, or mixtures thereof. The reduction catalyst may include, for example, rhodium, or other metals. Additional metals that may be used in embodiments are presented as Catalysts A-D, herein.

Catalyst A

The oxidation catalysts may be a modification of a conventional oxidation catalyst through the use of cerium oxide (CeO₂), or ceria, to obtain a suitable oxygen removal catalyst, termed catalyst A, herein. Ceria is often used in three-way catalysts for automotive applications. A three way catalyst is used to decrease the concentration of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and unburned hydrocarbons in an exhaust stream. In automotive engines, an engine routinely cycles through rich and lean modes of combustion, producing either an excess of O₂ over fuel (lean operation), or an excess of reductants over oxygen (rich operation). The role of the ceria in the three way catalysts is to act as an OSC to ensure that enough oxygen is present for the reaction during rich operation. In a stoichiometric exhaust gas recirculation gas turbine, it is preferred to maintain the oxygen content of the exhaust stream low at all times so that the inert gas produced and extracted from the system has a sufficiently low oxygen content for its intended purpose. Normal control variations, for example due to control system hysteresis, sensor accuracy and repeatability, valve actuation and signal noise, may necessitate a change away from an optimum setpoint, of for example, equivalence ratio or lambda value, in order to ensure that the oxygen content of the product is always below a maximum acceptable value. The use of an OSC allows the selection of a setpoint closer to or even at the optimum value since the impact of these inevitable control system variations are reduced or possibly eliminated by the storage and release of oxygen from the OSC during transient rich and lean operating periods.

In an exhaust gas recycle operation in the gas turbine engine 102, the ceria may be used in conjunction with a precious metal catalyst. However, this would be used to keep the oxygen content in the exhaust stream to less than about 10 ppm in the recycle gas. The ceria would be placed in close proximity to the CO oxidation catalyst to allow the oxygen to be reduced by the CO. If the oxygen increases, for example, due to a process upset or routine control variations, the ceria would adsorb the extra oxygen. The stored oxygen would be reduced at rich operating conditions, keeping the oxygen concentration low in the exhaust. Further, the ceria may maintain lambda at about one at the catalyst outlet, by releasing stored oxygen under rich operating conditions to assist in the oxidation of the CO.

The oxidation catalyst in catalyst A can include, for example, an element from groups 8-10 of the periodic table, including, for example, platinum or a mixture of platinum (Pt) and palladium (Pd), among others. A mixture of Pt and Pd may use a ratio of Pt:Pd greater than about 0.1, or between about 1 and about 100,000. The group 10 metals can be supported on an refractory oxide support, such as alumina, silica, titania, and zirconia or mixtures thereof. The OSC can include ceria and zirconia in a ratio of about 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 5.0 or higher. In addition to ceria, the OSC may also include other oxides of the lanthanoid elements, such as lanthanum, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, and the like. Further, other metals may be used in various embodiments, including, for example, nickel, cerium, iron, manganese, and copper, among others.

If the gas turbine is operated under rich conditions for an extended period of time, carbon deposits can build up on the surface of the catalyst, which may deactivate the catalyst. In an embodiment, a modified and new catalyst suitable for operation under constant rich conditions may be used, which contains a catalytic function that utilizes the combustion water and the CO2 contained in the exhaust gas to oxidize carbon deposits from the catalyst.

Catalyst B

If the gas turbine engine 102 is operated under rich conditions for an extended period of time, e.g., without closed-loop lambda control, a different catalyst may be used to reduce oxygen emissions. Under rich operating conditions conventional oxidation catalysts are susceptible to inhibition by carbon or carbonaceous deposits which can form on the catalyst surface by disproportionation of CO or pyrolysis of fuel as described in reactions shown in Eqns. 2 and 3, respectively. 2CO↔C+CO₂ disproportionation of CO  (2) CH₄↔C+2H₂ pyrolysis of methane  (3) The carbon, which is the reaction product of the undesired side reactions in Eqns. 2 and 3 can cover the catalyst surface and deactivate the catalyst.

Catalyst B provides an oxygen removal catalyst composition that is suitable for operation under constant rich conditions. In the event of a sustained lack of oxygen, catalyst B utilizes the combustion water and CO₂ contained in the exhaust gas to oxidize C to CO according to the reactions shown in Eqns. 4 and 5, respectively. C+H₂O↔CO+H₂  (4) C+CO₂↔2CO  (5)

Catalyst B contains a functionality that oxidizes C according to the reactions shown in Eqns. 4 and 5, while still reducing O₂ with CO according to the reaction shown in Eqn. 1. For example, catalyst B can include the compositions described for catalyst A and an additional component that is active for hydrocarbon reforming as well as CO oxidation. The reforming component may include rhodium (Rh) supported on one or a mixture of the supports described for catalyst A. The rhodium may be supported on a ceria-zirconia mixed oxide or solid solution.

Catalyst C

The resistance of the catalyst above against deactivation by carbon and carbonaceous deposits may be enhanced by making the catalyst surface more basic. Catalyst C includes the composition described for catalyst A, for example, with an alumina and ceria support mixture holding active sites of Pt and Pd, among other compositions. The support may be modified by the addition of alkaline or alkaline earth metal oxides such as magnesium oxide (MgO) or barium oxide (BaO). The fraction of the support that is the alkaline oxide or alkaline earth oxide may be less than about 50 wt. %, less than 30 wt. %, or less than 10 wt. %.

Catalyst D

Catalyst D includes the composition described for catalyst B, for example, with an alumina and ceria support mixture holding active sites of Rh, Pt, and Pd, among other compositions. The support may be modified by the addition of alkaline or alkaline earth metal oxides such as MgO or BaO. The fraction of the support that is the alkaline oxide or alkaline earth oxide may be less than about 50 wt. %, less than 30 wt. %, or less than 10 wt. %.

In some embodiments, a water gas shift (WGS) reaction may be used, in addition to the oxidation reactions, to convert the reagents CO and H₂O to CO₂ and H₂. Any number of WGS catalysts can be used for this reaction. These catalysts may be placed in catalyst beds that are located in temperature regions of the HRSG at which the WSG catalyst is most active. For example, an iron-chromium oxide catalyst supported on a refractory oxide, such as alumina, silica, titania, zirconia, or mixtures thereof, may be used in a region that is in a temperature range of about 300° C. to about 450° C. Further, a copper-zinc catalyst supported on a refractory oxide may be used in a region that is in a temperature range of about 180° C. to about 270° C. Any number of other WGS catalysts may be used, including, for example, a platinum-rhenium catalyst, or catalyst combinations of ruthenium with copper or rhenium.

The refractory oxides supporting the catalytic metal may be held in place by a honeycombed ceramic structure that is designed to allow flow of the exhaust gas with minimal back pressure. In an HRSG, the refractory oxide holding the catalytic metal may be supported on a ceramic that is supported on heat exchanger tubes configured to control the reaction temperature.

The sensors 206 are not limited to the expander exhaust section 208, but may be in any number of other locations, instead of or in addition to the expander exhaust section 208. For example, the sensors 206 may be disposed in multiple rings around the expander exhaust section 208. Further, the sensors 206 may be separated into multiple rings by the type of sensor 206, for example, with oxygen analyzers in one ring and temperature sensors in another ring. Sensors 224 may also be located in the product gas stream 222 from the catalyst bed 220.

In embodiments the gas turbine engine 102 may be used to provide power, CO₂, heat energy, or any combinations thereof for numerous applications. For example, the product gas 222 from the catalyst bed 220 may be processed in a dehydration unit, such as a cryogenic dehydration system, a glycol system, or a combination system, to form a low dewpoint gas, e.g., with a dewpoint less than about −10° C., less than about −30° C., less than about −50° C., or lower. Further, the product gas 222 may be processed in a carbon dioxide separation unit to produce a lean carbon dioxide stream and a rich carbon dioxide stream. The carbon dioxide separation unit may include solid absorption columns, cryogenic separation systems, liquid adsorption systems, or chemical sorption systems.

Either the lean carbon dioxide stream or the rich carbon dioxide stream may be injected into a subterranean reservoir for enhanced hydrocarbon recovery. The rich carbon dioxide stream may be injected into a carbon sequestration well, while the lean carbon dioxide stream may be provided as a gaseous product to market. The lean carbon dioxide stream may be processed in a dehydration unit to lower the dewpoint prior to sales. If sale of the lean carbon dioxide stream is not desirable, the stream may be passed through an expander to recovery mechanical energy prior to venting the stream.

Although it is desirable to minimize the amount of CO and unburned hydrocarbons in the exhaust, the catalyst may be selected to lower the amount of oxygen in the product gas 222. This may increase the usefulness of the product gas 222 in enhanced oil recovery, as oxidation of the targeted hydrocarbons by residual oxygen in the exhaust stream will be decreased.

Energy Recovery and Recycle of Exhaust

FIG. 3 is a schematic of a gas turbine system 300 that includes an HRSG 302 on the exhaust stream 218 from the expander exhaust section 208. The HRSG 302 may include any number of heat recovery units, such as a steam superheating device, a steam raising device, a feed water heating device, or an endothermic reaction device, among others. Thus, any HRSG 302 referred to herein may be replaced with any other type of heat recovery unit. Like numbered items are as described above with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2. The exhaust gas in the exhaust stream 218 can include, but is not limited to, unburned fuel, oxygen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, nitrogen oxides, argon, water, steam, or any combinations thereof. The exhaust stream 218 can have a temperature ranging from about 430° C. to about 725° C. and a pressure of about 101 kPa to about 110 kPa.

In the embodiment shown in the schematic, the heat generated by the combustion can be used to boil an inlet water stream 304 to generate a steam stream 306 that may also be superheated. The steam stream 306 may be used, for example, in a Rankine cycle to generate mechanical power from a steam turbine, or to provide steam for utilities, or both. The mechanical power from the steam turbine may be used to generate electricity, operate compressors, and the like. As noted herein, the gas turbine system 300 is not limited to a HRSG 302, as any type of heat recovery unit (HRU) may be used. For example, the heat may be recovered in a heat exchanger to provide hot water or other heated fluids. Further, a Rankine cycle based on an organic working fluid (ORC) may be used to recover heat energy by converting it to mechanical energy.

In an embodiment, one or more catalyst beds 308 may be located in the HRSG 302 as described herein. The position of the catalyst beds 308 within the HRSG 302 may be determined by the reaction temperature desired for the catalyst. For example, a catalyst that operates at a higher temperature, such as an oxidation catalyst with an OSC, may be located in the HRSG 302 at a point just after the exhaust stream 218 enters the HRSG 302. Similarly, a catalyst that operates at a lower temperature, such as a water gas shift catalyst, may be located at a later point in the HRSG 302, for example, just before a product gas 310 leaves the HRSG 302.

The cooled exhaust stream or product gas 310 may then be used for other purposes, such as to provide recycle gas for stream 214. Various other sensors may be added to the system to monitor and control the catalytic reaction. For example, sensors 312 may be placed in the product gas 310 to determine the efficacy of the catalytic reactions. These sensors 312 may be used in addition to the sensors 206 on the expander exhaust section 208 to determine the reactants present, and to control the fuel and oxidant levels.

Control of Equivalence Ratio to Combustors

Although the catalyst and OSC combinations described herein may decrease the need for controlling the equivalence ratio, such control may be useful for decreasing concentration of oxygen and other contaminants in the product gas 310. The gas turbine systems discussed above may be used to control the combustion process in the combustors 110, either individually, as a group, or both. A goal of the control may be to balance the equivalence ratio of the fuel and oxygen. This may be performed to minimize unburned or partially burned hydrocarbon, represented by the CO concentration in an exhaust stream and to minimize unconsumed oxygen in the exhaust stream. The equivalence ratio is discussed further with respect to FIGS. 4A and 4B.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are graphical depictions of a simulation showing the equilibrium relationship between the mole fraction 402 of oxygen and carbon monoxide as the equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 changes from 0.75 to 1.25 and from 0.999 to 1.001, respectively. The highest efficiency may be achieved when the equivalence ratio is about 1.0. The oxygen concentration as a function of the equivalence ratio is shown as line 406 and the carbon monoxide concentration as a function of the equivalence ration is shown as line 408. The equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 is equal to (mol % fuel/mol % oxygen)_(actual)/(mol % fuel/mol % oxygen)_(stoichiometric). The mol % fuel is equal to F_(fuel)/(F_(oxygen)+F_(fuel)), where F_(fuel) is equal to the molar flow rate of fuel and F_(oxygen) is equal to the molar flow rate of oxygen.

The mol % oxygen is equal to F_(oxygen)/(F_(oxygen)+F_(fuel)), where F_(oxygen) is equal to the molar flow rate of oxygen and F_(fuel) is equal to the molar flow rate of fuel. The molar concentration of the oxygen depends on the proportion of oxygen to diluent in the oxidant mixture, and may be calculated as F_(oxygen)/(F_(oxygen)+F_(diluent)). As used herein, the flow rate of the oxidant may be calculated as F_(oxidant)=(F_(oxygen)+F_(diluent)).

As the equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 goes below 1 or above 1 the mole fraction or concentration of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the exhaust gas changes. For example, as the equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 goes below 1 the mole fraction of oxygen rapidly increases from about 1 ppm (i.e., an oxygen mole fraction of about 1.0×10⁻⁶) at an equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 of about 1 to about 100 ppm (i.e., an oxygen mole fraction of about 1×10⁻⁴) at an equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 of about 0.999. Similarly, as the equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 goes above 1 the concentration of carbon monoxide rapidly increase from about 1 ppm (i.e., carbon monoxide mole fraction of about 1×10⁻⁶) at an equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 of about 0.9995 to greater than about 100 ppm (i.e., a carbon monoxide mole fraction of about 1×10⁻⁴) at an equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 of about 1.001.

Based, at least in part, on the data obtained from the sensors, such as sensors 206 (FIG. 2), or 312 (FIG. 3), the amount of oxidant 116 and/or the amount of fuel 114 to the combustors 110 can be adjusted to produce an exhaust stream 218 having a desired composition. For example, monitoring the oxygen and/or carbon monoxide concentration in the exhaust gas in the expander exhaust section 208 or the cooled exhaust stream 310 allows the adjustment of the amount of oxidant 116 and fuel 114 introduced the combustors 110, either individual or as an ensemble, to be controlled such that combustion of the fuel 114 is carried out within a predetermined range of equivalence ratios (ϕ) 404 in the gas turbine engine 102.

This can be used to produce an exhaust stream 218 having a combined concentration of oxygen and carbon monoxide of less than about 3 mol %, less than about 2.5 mol %, less than about 2 mol %, less than about 1.5 mol %, less than about 1 mol %, or less than about 0.5 mol %. Furthermore, the exhaust stream 218 may have less than about 4,000 ppm, less than about 2,000 ppm, less than about 1,000 ppm, less than about 500 ppm, less than about 250 ppm, or less than about 100 ppm combined oxygen and carbon monoxide. In some embodiments, the fuel 114 and oxidant 116 are adjusted to form a slightly rich mixture to enhance the formation of CO at the expense of the O₂, decreasing the amount of residual oxygen in the exhaust. The remaining oxygen can be reduced by the CO in the exhaust stream, resulting in a product gas having 10 ppm, or less, oxygen content. If excess oxygen is present, for example, due to an operational excursion, an OSC can be used to absorb at least part of the oxygen. In this embodiment, the absorbed oxygen is reduced by excess CO as the mixture returns to a slightly rich condition.

A desired or predetermined range for the equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 in the combustors 110 can be calculated or entered to carry out the combustion of the fuel 114 to produce an mixed exhaust stream 418 containing a desired amount of oxygen and/or carbon monoxide. For example, the equivalence ratio (ϕ) in the combustors 110 can be maintained within a predetermined range of from about 0.85 to about 1.15 to produce an exhaust stream 218 having a combined oxygen and carbon monoxide concentration ranging from a low of about 0.5 mol %, about 0.8 mol %, or about 1 mol %, to a high of about 1.5 mol %, about 1.8 mol %, about 2 mol %, or about 2.2 mol %. In another example, the equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 in the combustors 110 can be maintained within a range of about 0.85 to about 1.15 to produce an exhaust stream 218 having a combined oxygen and carbon monoxide concentration of less than 2 mol %, less than about 1.9 mol %, less than about 1.7 mol %, less than about 1.4 mol %, less than about 1.2 mol %, or less than about 1 mol %. In still another example, the equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 in the combustors 110 can be maintained within a range of from about 0.96 to about 1.04 to produce an exhaust stream 218 having a combined oxygen and carbon monoxide concentration of less than about 4,000 ppm, less than about 3,000 ppm, less than about 2,000 ppm, less than about 1,000 ppm, less than about 500 ppm, less than about 250 ppm, or less than about 100 ppm.

FIG. 5 is another plot showing the distribution of equivalence ratios that can be used in embodiments. In FIG. 5, the x-axis 502 represents the equivalence ratio, while the y-axis 504 represents a particular mole fraction composition of the exhaust stream that due to spatial and/or temporal variations has a composition generated by a particular equivalence ratio. The plot 500 shows a rich operating regime 506, a stoichiometric operating regime 508, and a lean operating regime 510. The distribution shown for each operating regime 506, 508, and 510 reflects the variation in combustors that leads to exhaust gases that include both oxygen and products of incomplete fuel combustion. The catalysts described herein may reduce both materials.

In the event that all combustors are controlled to form a substantially stoichiometric mixture, e.g., the standard deviation of the stoichiometric operating regime 508 would be about 1, the stoichiometry of the fuel oxygen mixture may be dithered. In this embodiment, the flowrates for the fuel, air, or both, to the combustors can be adjusted around the stoichiometric point such that the combustors operate lean for short durations to “charge” the OSC of the catalyst with O₂. The O₂/lambda sensors downstream of the catalyst bed would sense O₂ when the OSC is fully charged and command the fuel or air or both flowrates to return to a stoichiometric condition. This mode of operation would ensure that sufficient O₂ exists in the OSC for reaction with any CO from the gas turbine.

It will be noted that in embodiments in which the combustors 110 are individually controlled, the combustors 110 do not have to be at the same set-point, or even within the same range. In various embodiments, different or biased set-points may be used for each of the combustors 110 to account for differences in construction, performance, or operation. This may avoid a situation in which different operational characteristics of different combustors 110 cause the exhaust stream 218 to be contaminated with unacceptable levels of oxygen or carbon monoxide. Also, it will be noted that a combination of combustion efficiency less that 100% and equivalence ratio differences among the individual combustors 110 may result in both CO 408 and oxygen 406 levels greater than those shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B at a given global equivalence ratio 404.

Accordingly, in embodiments of the present techniques, two methods for operating the gas turbine 102 are used. In a first method, the entire set of combustors 110 is operated as a single entity, for example, during startup and in response to global set-point adjustments, such as speed or power changes. In a second method, the individual combustors 110 may be separately biased, for example, to compensate for differences in wear, manufacturing, and the like.

One method for operating the entire set of combustors 110 can include initially, i.e., on start-up, introducing the fuel 114 and oxygen in the oxidant 116 at an equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 greater than 1. For example, the equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 at startup may range from a low of about 1.0001, about 1.0005, about 1.001, about 1.05, or about 1.1, to a high of about 1.1, about 1.2, about 1.3, about 1.4, or about 1.5. In another example, the equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 can range from about 1.0001 to about 1.1, from about 1.0005 to about 1.01, from about 1.0007 to about 1.005, or from about 1.01 to about 1.1. For global adjustments, the concentration of oxygen and/or carbon monoxide in the exhaust stream 218 can be determined or estimated via the sensors 206, 224, or 312. The expanded exhaust gas in the exhaust stream 218 may initially have a high concentration of carbon monoxide (e.g., greater than about 1,000 ppm or greater than about 10,000 ppm) and a low concentration of oxygen (e.g., less than about 10 ppm or less than about 1 ppm).

Another method for operating the entire set of combustors 110 can include initially, i.e., on start-up, introducing the fuel 114 and oxygen in the oxidant 116 at an equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 of less than 1. For example, the equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 at startup may range from a low of about 0.5, about 0.6, about 0.7, about 0.8, or about 0.9 to a high of about 0.95, about 0.98, about 0.99, about 0.999. In another example, the equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 can range from about 0.9 to about 0.999 from about 0.95 to about 0.99, from about 0.96 to about 0.99, or from about 0.97 to about 0.99. The expanded exhaust gas in the exhaust stream 218 may initially have a high concentration of oxygen (e.g., greater than about 1,000 ppm or greater than about 10,000 ppm) and a low concentration of carbon monoxide (e.g., less than about 10 ppm or even less than about 1 ppm).

For example, when the concentration of oxygen in the exhaust gas increases from less than about 1 ppm to greater than about 100 ppm, about 1,000 ppm, about 1 mol %, about 2 mol %, about 3 mol %, or about 4 mol %, an operator, the control system 212, or both can be alerted that an equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 of less than 1 has been reached. In one or more embodiments, the amount of oxygen via oxidant 116 and fuel 114 can be maintained constant or substantially constant to provide a combustion process having an equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 of slightly less than 1, e.g., about 0.99. The amount of oxygen via oxidant 116 can be decreased and/or the amount of fuel 114 can be increased and then maintained at a constant or substantially constant amount to provide a combustion process having an equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 falling within a predetermined range. For example, when the concentration of oxygen in the exhaust stream 418 increases from less than about 1 ppm to about 1,000 ppm, about 0.5 mol %, about 2 mol %, or about 4 mol %, the amount of oxygen introduced via the oxidant 116 can be reduced by an amount ranging from a low of about 0.01%, about 0.02%, about 0.03%, or about 0.04% to a high of about 1%, about 2%, about 3%, or about 5% relative to the amount of oxygen introduced via the oxidant 116 at the time the increase in oxygen in the exhaust gas is initially detected. In another example, when the concentration of oxygen in the exhaust stream 218 increases from less than about 1 ppm to about 1,000 ppm or more the amount of oxygen introduced via the oxidant 116 can be reduced by about 0.01% to about 2%, about 0.03% to about 1%, or about 0.05% to about 0.5% relative to the amount of oxygen introduced via the oxidant 116 at the time the increase in oxygen in the exhaust gas is detected. In still another example, when the concentration of oxygen increases from less than about 1 ppm to about 1,000 ppm or more the amount of fuel 114 can be increased by an amount ranging from a low of about 0.01%, about 0.02%, about 0.03%, or about 0.04% to a high of about 1%, about 2%, about 3%, or about 5% relative to the amount of fuel 114 introduced at the time the increase in oxygen in the exhaust gas is initially detected.

During operation of the gas turbine system 102, the equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 can be monitored via the sensors 206, 224, or 312 on a continuous basis, at periodic time intervals, at random or non-periodic time intervals, when one or more changes to the gas turbine system 102 occur that could alter or change the equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 of the exhaust stream 218, or any combination thereof. For example, changes that could occur to the gas turbine system 102 that could alter or change the equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 can include a change in the composition of the fuel, a change in the composition of the oxidant, a degradation of the catalyst, for example, due to carbon formation, or a combination thereof. As such, the concentration of oxygen and/or carbon monoxide, for example, can be monitored, and adjustments can be made to the amount of oxidant 116 and/or fuel 114 to control the amounts of oxygen and/or carbon monoxide in the exhaust stream 218, the product gas 310, or both.

In at least one embodiment, reducing the equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 can be carried out in incremental steps, non-incremental steps, a continuous manner, or any combination thereof. For example, the amount of oxidant 116 and/or the fuel 114 can be adjusted such that the equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 changes by a fixed or substantially fixed amount per adjustment to the oxidant 116 and/or fuel 114, e.g., by about 0.001, by about 0.01, or by about 0.05. In another example, the amount of oxidant 116 and/or fuel 114 can be continuously altered such that the equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 continuously changes. Preferably the amount of oxidant 116 and/or fuel 114 is altered and combustion is carried out for a period of time sufficient to produce an exhaust gas of substantially consistent composition, at which time the amount of oxidant 116 and/or fuel 114 can be adjusted to change the equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 in an amount ranging from a low of about 0.00001, about 0.0001, or about 0.0005 to a high of about 0.001, about 0.01, or about 0.05. After the exhaust stream 218 achieves a substantially consistent concentration of oxygen the oxidant 116 and/or fuel 114 can again be adjusted such that the equivalence ratio (ϕ) 404 changes. The amount of oxygen and/or carbon monoxide in the exhaust stream 418 can be monitored and the amount of oxidant 116 and/or fuel 114 can be repeatedly adjusted until the exhaust stream 218 has a combined concentration of oxygen and carbon monoxide, for example, of less than about 2 mol % or less than about 1.5 mol %, or less than about 1 mol %.

The combustors 110 can be operated on a continuous basis such that the exhaust stream 218 has a combined oxygen and carbon monoxide concentration of less than 2 mol %, less than 1 mol %, less than 0.5 mol %, or less than about 0.1 mol %. In another example, the time during which combustion is carried out within the combustors 110, the exhaust stream 418 can have a combined oxygen and carbon monoxide concentration of less than 2 mol % or less than about 1 mol % for about 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, or about 95% of the time during which the gas turbine engine 102 is operated. In other words, for a majority of the time that combustion is carried out within the combustors 110, the exhaust stream 418 can have a combined oxygen and carbon monoxide concentration of less than about 2 mol %, less than about 1 mol %, less than about 0.5 mol %, or less than about 0.1 mol %.

Once the overall control of the gas turbine engine 102 is set, the biasing needed for individual combustors 110 may be determined. For example, an oxidant flow adjusting device 202 for each individual combustor 110 can be adjusted by the control system 212 to maintain the measured value of the sensors 206, 224, or 312 at or near to a desired set-point. Several calculated values may be determined from the measured values of each sensor 206 or 312. These may include, for example, an average value that can be used to make similar adjustments to all of the oxidant flow adjusting devices 202 in the n combustors 110.

In addition, various difference values, for example, calculated based on differences of the measured values of two or more sensors 206, 224, or 312, may be used to make biasing adjustments to the oxidant flow adjusting devices 202 on one or more of the combustors 110 to minimize differences between the measured values of the sensors 206, 224, or 312. The control system 212 may also adjust the oxidant system 116 directly, such by adjusting compressor inlet guide vanes (IGV) or a speed control to change the oxidant flow rates, for example, to all of the combustors 110 at once. Further, the control system 212 can make similar adjustments to the fuel 114 to all combustors 110, depending, for example, on the speed selected for the gas turbine 102. As for the oxidant, the fuel supply to each of the combustors 110 may be individually biased to control the equivalence ratio of the burn. This is discussed further with respect to FIG. 7.

Along with a proposed formulation of the catalyst, the gas turbine may be controlled using different approaches in various embodiments. The stoichiometry of the combustion is controlled by a lambda sensor downstream of the catalytic converter measuring the oxygen concentration in the effluent gas. In an embodiment, the lambda sensor will switch the gas turbine combustion to become lean when lambda falls below one, and all oxygen in the OSC has been depleted. Conversely the lambda sensor will switch the gas turbine combustion to become rich when lambda rises above one and the OSC has been replenished with oxygen. In this operation of a closed-loop lambda control, the average lambda value at the catalyst outlet equals one at all times to substantially remove the oxygen from the exhaust.

However, a large frame gas turbine has multiple can combustors, and though all cans may be connected to a common fuel manifold with a central fuel valve, there exist small differences in the fuel flow rate, along with differences in oxidant/diluent flow rate to each can. Therefore, in a gas turbine designed to operate under stoichiometric conditions, the actual stoichiometry may follow a distribution as shown in FIG. 5. When the gas turbine is operating at stoichiometric conditions, there will exist some cans that are lean and some that are rich. The lean cans would produce excess O₂ that can replenish the OSC while the rich cans would produce CO that would oxidize over the catalyst. Due to the balance however, the lambda sensor would sense zero O₂. The rich and lean conditions would be caused by a shift in the distribution as shown below and cause the lambda sensor to read above one or below one respectively. In either case, the fuel can be adjusted as described above to return the gas turbine to stoichiometric conditions.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a method 600 for adjusting fuel and oxidant levels to the combustors 110 based on readings from an array of sensors. It can be assumed that the gas turbine engine 102 has been started before the method 600 begins, and that all of the combustors 110 are using essentially the same mixture or a previous operation point. The method 600 begins at block 602, when a set-point for the oxidant is entered and oxidant is provided to the combustors. In a substantially simultaneous manner, at block 604, a set-point is entered for the fuel, and fuel is provided to the combustors. At block 606, the combustion process consumes the fuel and oxidant provided.

At block 608, the exhaust gas is passed through one or more catalyst beds, for example, including oxidation catalysts with an OSC, water gas shift catalysts, or both. At block 610, readings are obtained from the sensors. The readings may indicate the efficacy of the catalyst processes, by determining the concentrations of H₂O, O₂, CO₂, H₂, and other gas components. These may be used to determine global adjustments to the combustors. Further, individual sensors along the exhaust expander ring may be used to determine sums and differences of concentrations from individual combustors. The sums and differences may be combined to assist in identifying the combustors that are contributing to a high oxygen or high carbon monoxide condition in the exhaust. This may also be performed by a swirl chart, which is used to determine the relative contribution each combustor would make to the exhaust composition at a particular location. At block 612, adjustments to the fuel and oxidant for those combustors may be calculated and added to any global adjustments. Process flow then returns to blocks 602 and 604 with the new set points, wherein the method 600 repeats.

Control System

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a plant control system 700 that may be used to control the oxidant and fuel to the combustors in a gas turbine engine. As previously mentioned, the control system 700 may be a DCS, a PLC, a DDC, or any other appropriate control device. Further, any controllers, controlled devices, or monitored systems, including sensors, valves, actuators, and other controls, may be part of a real-time distributed control network, such as a FIELDBUS system, in accordance with IEC 61158. The plant control system 700 may host the control system used to adjust the fuel and oxidant to the combustors, individually or as an ensemble.

The control system 700 may have a processor 702, which may be a single core processor, a multiple core processor, or a series of individual processors located in systems through the plant control system 700. The processor 702 can communicate with other systems, including distributed processors, in the plant control system 700 over a bus 704. The bus 704 may be an Ethernet bus, a FIELDBUS, or any number of other buses, including a proprietary bus from a control system vendor. A storage system 706 may be coupled to the bus 704, and may include any combination of non-transitory computer readable media, such as hard drives, optical drives, random access memory (RAM) drives, and memory, including RAM and read only memory (ROM). The storage system 706 may store code used to provide operating systems 708 for the plant, as well as code to implement turbine control systems 710, for example, bases on the first or second methods discussed above.

A human-machine interface 712 may provide operator access to the plant control system 700, for example, through displays 714, keyboards 716, and pointing devices 718 located at one or more control stations. A network interface 720 may provide access to a network 722, such as a local area network or wide area network for a corporation.

A plant interface 724 may provide measurement and control systems for a first gas turbine system. For example, the plant interface 724 may read a number of sensors 726, such as the sensors 206, 224, and 312 described with respect to FIGS. 2 and 3. The plant interface 724 may also make adjustments to a number of controls, including, for example, fuel flow controls 728 used adjust the fuel to the combustors on the gas turbine. Other controls include the oxidant flow controls 730, used, for example, to adjust the actuator on an oxidant flow adjusting device, the actuator on a oxidant flow adjusting valve, or both, for each of the combustors on the gas turbine. The plant interface 724 may also control other plant systems 732, such as generators used to produce power from the mechanical energy provided by the gas turbine. The additional plant systems 732 may also include the compressor systems used to provide oxidant to the gas turbine.

The plant control system 700 is not limited to a single plant interface 724. If more turbines are added, additional plant interfaces 734 may be added to control those turbines. Further, the distribution of functionality is not limited to that shown in FIG. 7. Different arrangements could be used, for example, one plant interface system could operate several turbines, while another plant interface system could operate compressor systems, and yet another plant interface could operate generation systems.

Simulated Results

FIG. 8 is a schematic of a simulated gas turbine system 800 that illustrates the use of an oxidation catalyst bed in a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG) to reduce the concentration of selected components in an exhaust stream. The reference numbers shown in circles in the drawing correspond to the stream names indicated in Table 1. The values in Table 1 are the results for the conditions and concentrations generated in a simulation. The simulation was performed using the HYSYS Process Modeling system from AspenTech.

For purposes of the simulation, air 802 was used as the oxidant, although any number of other oxidant blends could be used. The air 802 was fed to a main air compressor 804, which caused a significant increase in the temperature of the air 802. The main air compressor 804 may comprise one or more compressor stages with possible cooling between the stages. The compressed air was then injected into a combustor 812.

Fuel gas 814, which may be treated to remove impurities such as sulfur compounds, was injected into the combustor 812. The fuel gas 814 can be compressed before the injection. Although the air 802 and fuel 814 were injected directly into the combustor 812 in the simulation, it can be understood that any number of other configurations are possible. For example, the air 802 and fuel 814 may be mixed prior to injection into the combustor 812.

The exhaust gases from the combustor 812 were flowed into an expander turbine 816, which is turned by expansion of the exhaust gases. From the expander turbine 816, the exhaust gases were flowed to a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG) 818. In the HRSG 818, a water stream 820 is boiled to form a steam stream 822, cooling the exhaust gases.

TABLE 1A Simulation results for catalyst beds in HRSG Stream Name in FIG. 7 1 4 5 6 7a Description Air to MAC Air ex MAC Fuel Gas To Expander Ex Expander Temperature [C.]  10.6 400.0   54.5 1471.3   620.1  Pressure [kPa]  101.33 2496.65  4208.18  2157.50   107.13 Molar Flow [kmol/sec]   12.22   12.22   1.32   25.16   29.81 Mass Flow [kg/sec]  352.52  352.47   22.69  715.19  851.45 Molecular Weight   28.85   28.85   17.24   28.42   28.56 Mass Density [kg/m3]    1.240   12.769   28.398    4.214    0.412 Heat Flow [kW] −38,801     105,130     −103,896     −524,422     −1,510,472     Higher Heating Value [kJ/kmol] 443.8  443.8  853006.3    6056.3   5513.5   Lower Heating Value [kJ/kmol]   0.00   0.00 774305.31    608.80  539.92 (CO2) [kmol/sec] 0.03% 0.03% 2.00% 10.22%  10.39%  (H2O) [kmol/sec] 1.08% 1.08% 0.10% 13.23%  12.07%  (Hydrogen) [ppmv] 0 0 0 (580)  (609)  (CO) [ppmv] 0 0 0 (1610)   (1387)   (Nitrogen) [lbmole/hr] 77.24%  77.24%  3.00% 75.36%  76.38%  (Oxygen) [ppmv] (207203)    (207203)    0 (613)  (584)  (Argon) [kmol/sec] 0.93% 0.93% 0.00% 0.90% 0.91% (Methane) [kmol/sec] 0.00% 0.00% 92.91%  0.00% 0.00% (Ethane) [kmol/sec] 0.00% 0.00% 2.00% 0.00% 0.00% (NO) [ppmv] 0 0 0 (144)  (0) (NO2) [ppmv] 0 0 0 (0) 0 (H2S) [ppmv] 0 0 (1) (0) (0) (COS) [ppmv] 0 0 0 (0) (0) (SO2) [ppmv] 0 0 0 (0) (0) (SO3) [ppmv] 0 0 0 (0) (0) Stream Name in FIG. 7 7b 8a 9b Description To Ox Cat Ex Ox Cat Ex HRSG Temperature [C.] 463.8  471.9   61.2 Pressure [kPa]  105.80  105.15  102.75 Molar Flow [kmol/sec]   29.81   29.79   29.79 Mass Flow [kg/sec]  851.45  851.45  851.45 Molecular Weight   28.56   28.58   28.58 Mass Density [kg/m3]    0.493    0.485    1.058 Heat Flow [kW] −1,671,436     −1,671,427     −2,069,369     Higher Heating Value [kJ/kmol] 5513.5   5241.0   5241.0   Lower Heating Value [kJ/kmol]  539.92  264.98  264.98 (CO2) [kmol/sec] 10.39%  10.47%  10.47%  (H2O) [kmol/sec] 12.07%  12.10%  12.10%  (Hydrogen) [ppmv] (609)  (346)  (346)  (CO) [ppmv] (1387)   (641)  (641)  (Nitrogen) [lbmole/hr] 76.38%  76.42%  76.42%  (Oxygen) [ppmv] (584)  (79)  (79)  (Argon) [kmol/sec] 0.91% 0.91% 0.91% (Methane) [kmol/sec] 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% (Ethane) [kmol/sec] 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% (NO) [ppmv] (0) (0) (0) (NO2) [ppmv] 0 0 0 (H2S) [ppmv] (0) (0) (0) (COS) [ppmv] (0) (0) (0) (SO2) [ppmv] (0) (0) (0) (SO3) [ppmv] (0) (0) (0)

TABLE 1B Simulation results for catalyst beds in HRSG Stream Name in FIG. 7 10 11 12 13 Description To EGR Blw Ex EGR Blw Produced H2O EGR to RGT Temperature [C.]  61.4  84.2  39.4  39.4 Pressure [kPa]  102.75  124.55  446.09  119.63 Molar Flow [kmol/sec]   29.93   29.93   2.76   27.83 Mass Flow [kg/sec]  854.06  854.06   49.74  816.26 Molecular Weight   28.53   28.53   18.02   29.33 Mass Density [kg/m3]    1.056    1.198   996.526    1.352 Heat Flow [kW] −2,101,097     −2,080,046     −787,114     −1,614,848     Higher Heating Value [kJ/kmol] 5394.4   5394.4   41007.3   2707.9   Lower Heating Value [kJ/kmol]  263.82  263.82   0.00  283.72 (CO2) [kmol/sec] 10.43%  10.43%  0.00% 11.21%  (H2O) [kmol/sec] 12.48%  12.48%  99.99%  5.87% (Hydrogen) [ppmv] (344)  (344)  (0) (370)  (CO) [ppmv] (638)  (638)  (0) (686)  (Nitrogen) [lbmole/hr] 76.09%  76.09%  0.00% 81.83%  (Oxygen) [ppmv] (79)  (79)  (0) (84)  (Argon) [kmol/sec] 0.90% 0.90% 0.00% 0.97% (Methane) [kmol/sec] 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% (Ethane) [kmol/sec] 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% (NO) [ppmv] (0) (0) (0) (0) (NO2) [ppmv] (0) (0) 0 0 (H2S) [ppmv] (0) (0) (0) (0) (COS) [ppmv] (0) (0) (0) (0) (SO2) [ppmv] (0) (0) (0) (0) (SO3) [ppmv] (0) (0) (0) (0) Stream Name in FIG. 7 14 15 16 Description EGR to Comb Purge Extr Ex Extr Cat Temperature [C.] 449.1  462.8  464.0  Pressure [kPa] 2275.84  2025.65  2004.96  Molar Flow [kmol/sec]   23.14   11.54   11.54 Mass Flow [kg/sec]  678.51  338.46  338.46 Molecular Weight   29.33   29.33   29.33 Mass Density [kg/m3]   11.042    9.653    9.540 Heat Flow [kW] −1,038,142     −512,131     −512,131     Higher Heating Value [kJ/kmol] 2707.9   2701.0   2662.4   Lower Heating Value [kJ/kmol]  283.72  283.75  244.92 (CO2) [kmol/sec] 11.21%  11.22%  11.22%  (H2O) [kmol/sec] 5.87% 5.86% 5.87% (Hydrogen) [ppmv] (370)  (370)  (296)  (CO) [ppmv] (686)  (686)  (612)  (Nitrogen) [lbmole/hr] 81.83%  81.84%  81.85%  (Oxygen) [ppmv] (84)  (84)  (10)  (Argon) [kmol/sec] 0.97% 0.97% 0.97% (Methane) [kmol/sec] 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% (Ethane) [kmol/sec] 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% (NO) [ppmv] (0) (0) (0) (NO2) [ppmv] 0 0 0 (H2S) [ppmv] (0) 0 0 (COS) [ppmv] (0) 0 0 (SO2) [ppmv] (0) 0 0 (SO3) [ppmv] (0) 0 0

An oxidation catalyst bed 824 was located in the HRSG 818 at a point where the temperature was still quite high, e.g., about 468° C. as indicated in Table 1. The simulation results in Table 1 show that the exhaust flowing through the oxidation catalyst bed 824 had a substantial change in CO, which dropped from about 1387 ppmv to about 641 ppmv. The presence of an OSC may enhance the conversion efficiency, as oxygen may be stored for the reaction.

A water gas shift (WSG) catalyst bed 826 may be located at a cooler point in the HRSG 818, e.g., about 144° C. However, in this simulation, no WSG catalyst was used, so no changes were seen.

The product gas from the HRSG 818 was flowed to a compressor 830 for boosting the pressure to form a recycle stream. From the compressor 830, the recycle stream was flowed through a condensing HRSG 832. In the condensing HRSG 832, a flow of water 834 is heated against the recycle stream, forming an outlet stream 836 that include hot water or steam. The outlet stream 836 may be used for other plant purposes, such as heating and utilities, or may be used as the water stream 820 to the HRSG 818. The cooling of the recycle stream caused water 838 to condense from the water vapor in the recycle stream. The water 838 can be discarded or may be used as a water source for the process, or exported as a product.

From the condensing HRSG 832, the recycle stream was fed to the compression turbine 840, which is powered through mechanical energy provided by the expander turbine 816 through a shaft 842. Although the shaft was shown as providing a direct connection in the simulation, other configurations could be used, including separate units, multiple shafts, and the like. Further, the shaft 842 may be extended to a generator to provide electrical power. The compressed recycle stream was then reinjected into the combustor 812 to provide cooling.

In the simulation, a side stream was removed from the combustor 812 to function as a process purge. The side stream was flowed through a separate oxidation catalyst bed 844, which caused a small decrease in the CO content, e.g., 3 ppmv to 2 ppmv, a large reduction in the hydrogen level, e.g. from 2453 to 1079 ppm, a large reduction in the oxygen level, e.g. from 785 to 97 ppm, and a small increase in the water concentration, e.g. from 5.83 to 5.97%, in the simulation results. The purge 846 may then be used to generate additional steam or process heat in a waste heat recovery unit (e.g. a heat exchanger similar in function as a HRSG), compressed, dehydrated in a glycol or similar dehydration unit and/or separated into CO2 rich and CO2 lean streams. The purge 846 or the CO2 rich or CO2 lean streams may subsequently be injected into a subterranean reservoir for the purpose of enhanced hydrocarbon recovery, CO2 sequestration or both. It can be noted that a portion of the fuel 814 can be diverted to the catalyst beds.

EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the invention may include any combinations of the methods and systems shown in the following numbered paragraphs. This is not to be considered a complete listing of all possible embodiments, as any number of variations can be envisioned from the description above.

1. A gas turbine system, including:

an oxidant system;

a fuel system;

a control system;

a combustor adapted to receive and combust an oxidant from the oxidant system and a fuel from the fuel system to produce an exhaust gas; and

a catalyst unit including an oxidation catalyst that includes an oxygen storage component configured to reduce the concentration of oxygen in the exhaust gas to form a low oxygen content product gas.

2. The gas turbine system of paragraph 1, wherein the catalyst includes:

an element from groups 8-10;

a refractory oxide;

a lanthanoid oxide, wherein the lanthanoid oxide is in a ratio to the refractory oxide of about 0.1 to about 5.0.

3. The gas turbine system of paragraph 2, wherein the element from groups 8-10 includes a mixture of platinum and palladium in a ratio between about 0.1 and about 100,000.

4. The gas turbine system of paragraphs 2 or 3, wherein the refractory oxide includes alumina, silica, titania, or zirconia, or any combinations thereof.

5. The gas turbine system of paragraphs 2, 3, or 4, wherein the catalyst includes rhodium.

6. The gas turbine system of any of paragraphs 2-4, wherein the catalyst includes an alkaline oxide or an alkaline earth metal oxides, or any mixtures thereof in a ratio of less than about 50%.

7. The gas turbine system of any of paragraphs 1-6, wherein the catalyst includes:

a mixture of platinum and palladium in a ratio between about 0.1 and about 100,000; zirconia; and

ceria, wherein the ceria is in a ratio of between about 0.1 to about 5.0 to the zirconia.

8. The gas turbine system of any of paragraphs 1-7, wherein the catalyst includes:

a mixture of platinum and palladium in a ratio between about 0.1 and about 100,000; zirconia;

ceria, wherein the ceria is in a ratio of between about 0.1 to about 5.0 to the zirconia; and rhodium.

9. The gas turbine system of any of paragraphs 1-8, wherein the catalyst includes:

a mixture of platinum and palladium in a ratio between about 0.1 and about 100,000; zirconia;

ceria, wherein the ceria is in a ratio of between about 0.1 to about 5.0 to the zirconia; and magnesium oxide, calcium oxide, strontium oxide, or barium oxide, or any combinations thereof, in a ratio of less than about 50% of the zirconia and ceria.

10. The gas turbine system of any of paragraphs 1-9, wherein the catalyst includes:

a mixture of platinum and palladium in a ratio between about 0.1 and about 100,000; zirconia;

ceria, wherein the ceria is in a ratio of between about 0.1 to about 5.0 to the zirconia; rhodium; and

magnesium oxide, calcium oxide, strontium oxide, or barium oxide, or any combinations thereof, in a ratio of less than about 50% of the zirconia and ceria.

11. The gas turbine system of any of paragraphs 1-10, including a sensor in communication with the control system, wherein the sensor is adapted to measure at least one parameter of the exhaust gas, the low CO content product gas, or both, and wherein the control system is configured to adjust the oxidant, the fuel, or both, based, at least in part, on the parameter measured by the sensor. 12. The gas turbine system of any of paragraphs 1-11 including a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG) configured to receive the exhaust gas and to generate steam from the residual heat of the exhaust gas. 13. The gas turbine system of paragraph 12, wherein the HRSG includes a catalyst bed. 14. The gas turbine system of paragraph 13, wherein the catalyst bed is located in a zone in the HRSG that reaches a temperature between about 200° C. and 600° C. 15. The gas turbine system of any of paragraphs 1-14, including an oxidant-flow adjustment device for each combustor. 16. The gas turbine system of paragraph 15, wherein the oxidant-flow adjustment device includes a flow control valve. 17. The gas turbine system of paragraph 16, wherein the oxidant flow to each of a plurality of combustors is individually adjusted. 18. The gas turbine system of any of paragraphs 1-17, including a recirculation loop between an outlet of an expander section of a gas turbine engine and an inlet to a compressor section of the gas turbine engine. 19. The gas turbine system of paragraph 18, including a second heat recovery unit in the recirculation loop. 20. The gas turbine system of paragraphs 18 or 19, including a sensor installed in the recirculation loop, wherein the sensor is configured to measure the constituents within the low CO content product gas. 21. The gas turbine system of paragraphs 18, 19, or 20, including a booster blower in the recirculation loop, wherein the booster blower is disposed downstream of the HRSG. 22. The gas turbine system of any of paragraphs 18-21, including a heat exchanger within the recirculation loop upstream of the compressor section of the gas turbine engine cooling the product stream. 23. The gas turbine system of any of paragraphs 1-22, including a gas dehydration unit. 24. The gas turbine system of any of paragraphs 1-23, including a carbon dioxide separation unit configured to separate the product gas into a lean carbon dioxide stream and a rich carbon dioxide stream. 25. The gas turbine system of any of paragraphs 1-24, wherein the catalyst includes:

an element from the group 10 metals;

a refractory oxide;

a lanthanoid oxide, wherein the lanthanoid oxide is in a ratio to the refractory oxide of about 0.1 to about 5.0.

26. The gas turbine system of paragraph 25, wherein the element from the group 10 metals includes a mixture of platinum and palladium in a ratio between about 0.1 and about 100,000.

27. The gas turbine system of paragraph 25, wherein the refractory oxide includes alumina, silica, titania, or zirconia, or any combinations thereof.

28. The gas turbine system of paragraph 25, wherein the catalyst includes rhodium.

29. The gas turbine system of paragraph 25, wherein the catalyst includes an alkaline oxide or an alkaline earth metal oxides, or any mixtures thereof in a ratio of less than about 50%.

30. A heat recovery unit, including:

a heat exchanger configured to remove heat energy from an exhaust gas; and

a catalyst bed configured to reduce a concentration of a target gas in the exhaust gas, wherein the catalyst bed includes an oxygen storage component (OSC).

31. The heat recovery unit of paragraph 30, including a second catalyst bed including a water gas shift catalyst located in a temperature region selected for operation of the water gas shift catalyst.

32. The heat recovery unit of paragraphs 30 or 31, including a heat recovery steam generator, including:

water circulation tubes configured to boil water into steam as the exhaust gas is passed over the tubes; and

a surface coating over at least a portion of the tubes, wherein the surface coating includes a refractory oxide support holding metal catalytic sites.

33. A method for combusting a fuel in a gas turbine, including:

providing a fuel to a combustor on a gas turbine;

providing an oxidant to the combustor;

combusting the fuel and the oxidant in the combustor to produce an exhaust gas; and

passing at least a portion of the exhaust gas through a catalyst bed including a catalyst having an oxygen storage component (OSC) catalyst to form a low oxygen content product gas.

34. The method of paragraph 33, including operating the gas turbine in a fuel rich condition to decrease an amount of oxygen in the exhaust gas.

35. The method of paragraphs 33 or 34, including:

operating the gas turbine in a substantially stoichiometric condition for a majority of time;

interspersing short periods of rich operating conditions to use up oxygen; and

interspersing periods of lean operating conditions to recharge the OSC.

36. The method of paragraphs 33, 34, or 55, including:

cooling the exhaust gas in a heat recovery unit;

chilling the exhaust gas to condense water, and form a dry exhaust gas; and

compressing the dry exhaust gas to form a diluent.

37. The method of any of paragraphs 33-36, including mixing a first portion of the diluent with at least one of the fuel, the oxidant, and the exhaust gas to cool the combustor, exhaust gas, or both.

38. The method of any of paragraphs 33-37, including:

extracting a second portion of diluent from the gas turbine; and

delivering the second portion of diluent to an oxidation catalyst unit configured to oxidize carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and unburned hydrocarbons to carbon dioxide and water vapor and to produce a low oxygen content product gas.

39. The method of any of paragraphs 33-38, including:

compressing an oxidizing stream; and

providing a portion of the oxidizing stream as the oxidant to the combustor.

40. The method of any of paragraphs 33-39, including:

compressing a fuel stream; and

providing a portion of the fuel stream as the fuel to the combustor.

41. The method of paragraph 38, including:

compressing the diluent prior to delivering the first portion of diluent to the combustor; and

extracting a second portion of the diluent.

42. The method of paragraph 37, including providing a second portion of the fuel as a deoxidation fuel to an oxidation catalyst unit.

43. The method of paragraph 35, including providing a second portion of the oxidant as an oxidizer to the catalyst unit.

44. The method of paragraph 36 including providing essentially ambient air as the oxidant.

45. The method of any of paragraphs 33-44, including:

measuring a parameter of the exhaust gas; and

adjusting a fuel flow rate, an oxidant flow rate, or both to adjust the parameter to within a target set-point range.

46. The method of any of paragraphs 33-45, including:

measuring a parameter of the low oxygen content product gas; and

adjusting a fuel flow rate, an oxidant flow rate, or both to adjust the parameter to within a target set-point range.

47. The method of any of paragraphs 33-45, including measuring a parameter including oxygen concentration, carbon monoxide concentration, hydrogen concentration, unburned hydrocarbon concentration, nitrogen oxides or any combinations thereof in the exhaust gas, the low CO content product gas, or both. 48. The method of paragraph 45, including determining an equivalence ratio from the parameter. 49. The method of any of paragraphs 33-48, including adjusting the ratio of the fuel to the oxidant to form a substantially stoichiometric mixture. 50. The method of any of paragraphs 33-49, including adjusting the ratio of the fuel to the oxidant to obtain an exhaust gas including between about 100 parts-per-million (ppm) of carbon monoxide (CO) and about 5000 ppm of CO. 51. The method of any of paragraphs 33-50, including:

driving an expander turbine with the exhaust gas; and

generating mechanical power.

52. The method of any of paragraphs 33-51, including passing the exhaust gas through an oxidation catalyst bed configured to oxidize carbon monoxide, hydrogen and unburned hydrocarbons to carbon dioxide and water vapor.

53. The method of any of paragraphs 33-52, including injecting at least a portion of the low oxygen content product gas into a subterranean reservoir.

54. The method of paragraph 53, including compressing the low oxygen content product gas with a compressor prior to injecting the portion of the low oxygen content product gas into the subterranean reservoir.

55. The method of paragraph 35, including processing at least a portion of the low oxygen content product gas in a gas dehydration unit.

56. The method of paragraph 35, including processing at least a portion of at least one of the low oxygen content product gas in a carbon dioxide separation unit to produce a lean carbon dioxide stream and a rich carbon dioxide stream.

57. The method of paragraph 56, including injecting at least a portion of the lean carbon dioxide stream into a subterranean reservoir.

58. The method of paragraph 56, including injecting at least a portion of the rich carbon dioxide stream into a subterranean reservoir.

59. The method of paragraph 56, including providing at least a portion of the rich carbon dioxide stream to a carbon sequestration unit.

60. The method of paragraph 57, including compressing at least a portion of the lean carbon dioxide stream prior to injecting the lean carbon dioxide stream into the subterranean reservoir.

61. The method of paragraph 58, further compressing the at least a portion of the rich carbon dioxide stream to at least one rich product compressor prior to delivering the rich carbon dioxide stream to a subterranean reservoir for enhanced hydrocarbon recovery. 62. The method of paragraph 59, including compressing at least a portion of the rich carbon dioxide stream prior to providing the rich carbon dioxide stream to a carbon sequestration unit. 63. The method of paragraph 56, including processing at least a portion of the lean carbon dioxide stream in a gas dehydration unit. 64. The method of paragraph 56, including processing at least a portion of the rich carbon dioxide stream in a gas dehydration unit. 65. The method of any of paragraphs 33-64, including cooling the exhaust gas in a heat recovery steam generator to produce steam. 66. The method of paragraph 65, including:

driving a steam turbine with the steam; and

generating mechanical power.

67. The method of paragraph 65, including heating process fluids with the steam.

68. The method of any of paragraphs 33-67, including:

cooling the exhaust gas in a heat recovery unit; and

heating process fluids.

69. The method of paragraph 35, including measuring a parameter including oxygen concentration, carbon monoxide concentration, hydrogen concentration, unburned hydrocarbon concentration, nitrogen oxides or any combinations thereof in the low oxygen content product gas. 70. The method of paragraph 69, including adjusting the flow rate of the deoxidation fuel to cause the parameter to reach a target range. 71. The method of paragraph 69, including adjusting the flow rate of the oxidant to cause the parameter to reach a target range.

While the present techniques may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, the exemplary embodiments discussed above have been shown only by way of example. However, it should again be understood that the techniques is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed herein. Indeed, the present techniques include all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents falling within the true spirit and scope of the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for combusting a fuel in a gas turbine, comprising: providing a fuel to a combustor of the gas turbine; providing an oxidant to the combustor; combusting the fuel and the oxidant in the combustor to produce an exhaust gas; and passing at least a portion of the exhaust gas through a catalyst bed comprising a catalyst having an oxygen storage component (OSC) catalyst to form a low oxygen content product gas; wherein the catalyst comprises: a mixture of platinum and palladium in a ratio between about 0.1 and about 100,000; zirconia; ceria, wherein the ceria is in a ratio of between about 0.1 to about 5.0 to the zirconia; and rhodium.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the catalyst further comprises: an element from groups 8-10 other than platinum or palladium; and a refractory oxide other than zirconia.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the element from groups 8-10 comprises iron, cobalt, or nickel, or any combinations thereof.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the refractory oxide comprises alumina, silica, or titania, or any combinations thereof.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the alkaline earth metal oxide comprises magnesium oxide, calcium oxide, strontium oxide, or barium oxide, or any combinations thereof.
 6. The method of claim 1, comprising operating the gas turbine in a fuel rich condition to decrease an amount of oxygen in the exhaust gas.
 7. The method of claim 1, comprising: operating the gas turbine in a substantially stoichiometric condition for a majority of time; interspersing short periods of rich operating conditions to use up oxygen; and interspersing periods of lean operating conditions to recharge the OSC.
 8. The method of claim 1, comprising: cooling the low oxygen content product gas in a heat recovery unit; chilling the low oxygen content product gas to condense water, and form a dry exhaust gas; compressing the dry exhaust gas to form a diluent; and using the diluent to cool the combustor, the exhaust gas, or both.
 9. The method of claim 8, comprising: mixing the diluent with a first portion of one of the fuel and the oxidant prior to using the diluent to cool the combustor, the exhaust gas, or both.
 10. The method of claim 1, comprising: extracting a portion of exhaust gas from the gas turbine as a side stream; and delivering the side stream to an oxidation catalyst configured to oxidize carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and unburned hydrocarbons to carbon dioxide and water vapor.
 11. The method of claim 1, comprising: driving an expander turbine with the exhaust gas; and generating mechanical power.
 12. The method of claim 1, comprising cooling the low oxygen content product gas in a heat recovery steam generator to produce steam.
 13. The method of claim 1, comprising measuring a parameter comprising oxygen concentration, carbon monoxide concentration, hydrogen concentration, unburned hydrocarbon concentration, nitrogen oxides or any combinations thereof in the low oxygen content product gas.
 14. The method of claim 13, comprising adjusting a fuel flow rate, an oxidant flow rate, or both to maintain the parameter within a target set-point range.
 15. The method of claim 1, comprising: compressing the oxidant prior to introduction into the combustor.
 16. The method of claim 1, comprising: compressing the fuel prior to introduction into the combustor.
 17. The method of claim 8, comprising: compressing the diluent prior to using it to cool the combustor, the exhaust gas, or both. 